Blade Runner &Frankenstein

“The most interesting aspect of texts written in different times is seeing the differences in what people value.”

Texts written in time invariably contain many of the important morals which society as a whole values; thus, it is both interesting and enlightening to compare texts written in different periods. It allows one to see how far a society has come, or, in the case of Mary Shelley’s “Frankenstein” and Ridley Scott’s “Bladerunner”, how far the reflections indicate parallels in history. The influence of new technology, the role of women and even the questions raised in both are highly similar; more so than one would expect in a world claiming prowess in all areas of societal development.
Technological development has undoubtedly progressed greatly since Shelley’s era; it is coincidental that a similar technology is being developed during Ridley’s time. The creation of Frankenstein’s ‘monster’ in “Frankenstein” is directly influenced by numerous experiments into reanimation of dead animals during Shelley’s time, by scientists such as Erasmus Darwin. These scientific explorations attempted to use electricity to force life to return to the bodies; the creation of the ‘monster’ stems from these explorations into creation of existence. This can be seen through Frankenstein’s plundering of already-dead bodies in graveyards to obtain the necessary physical elements of his creation, as well as the requirement for power in the form of electrical storms at the time of animation. Furthermore, Shelley’s work questions the effects of technology on a society already progressing through the Industrial Revolution; with the omnipotence apparently imposed on her society through their domination of darkness and other improved technological discoveries, it was legitimate that scientists of the era feel they are capable of becoming God himself. This can be seen by Frankenstein’s admission that his “imagination… was too much exalted to doubt of [his] ability to create an animal...